fisher



G. B. FISHER. *mbmn. A'Pmcimou FILED an. 2. ms.

Patented July 22, 1919.

e. a. FISHER. TRACTOR. APPLICIATION FILED APRLZ. "I9. 1,310,653. I Patented July 22, 1919.

2 suns-sun? 2.

Unrra GUY B. FISHER, 0F HOUSTON, TEXA TRACTOR.

Application filed April 2, 1919.

To aZZ "whom 2'15 may concern Be it known that I, GUY B. Fisiinn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in liar-tors, of which the folside may be driven at a greater rate of speed, than the one on the other side for the pur-' pose of changing the course of the machine, and wherein the caterpillar on one side may be driven forwardly, and the one on the other side may be driven reversely, to'enalile the machine to be readily turned around in small space.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a tractor having a countershaft which may be operatively connected with one or a plurality of motors mounted on the machine, and through which the power is transmitted from said motor to the traction mechanism.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view} the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1., is a side view of a tractor.

Fig. 2, is rear end view, with the driving mechanism removed for the sake of-clcarness, and

Fig. 8, is a plan view. R8f611'iil new more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral 1, refers to the frame of the tractor, and the iiuii'ierals 2, 2, refer to the caterpillars through which the tractor is propelled. These caterpillars are driven through the front and rear sprocket wheels 3 and 4t, and move over the front and rear idler sprocket wheels 5 and (3, and the central sprocket wheel 7, said caterpillars being provided with the usual sprocket chains, as 8, which mesh with said respective sprocket Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Serial 110.286.9 13.

.wheels, and through. which the caterpillars on each side are driven. The front driving sprocket wheels 3 are fixed upon the short shafts l), E), and the rear driving sprocket wheels i, are fixed upon the short shafts 10, 10. The inner end of each shaft 9 has a relatively large sprocket wheel 11, fixed thereon, and the inner end of each of the shafts 10, has a relatively large sprocket wheel 12, fixed thereon. tably mounted in suitable bearings 21.5113 and ll. Depending from the frame and rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried. by the frame are the respective shafts 15 and 16, which are alined above the corresponding shafts 9 and 10. Mounted on the shaft 15, and alined above the sprocket wheels 11, are the small sin'oclmt wheels 17, 17, and mounted on the shaft lo aud alined above the corresponding sprocket wheels 12, are the small sprocket wheels 18,'18, said sprocket wheels 17 and 18 being provided with clutches whereby they may be clutched with or declutched from their respective shafts. ()perating over the respective sprocket wheels 11 Y and 17, are the sprocket chains 19,119, and likewise operating over the corresponding sprocket wheels 12 and 18, are the sprocket chains 20, 20, and through these respective sprocket. chains rotation is imparted to the shafts 9 and 10, and'the driving sprocket wheels '3 and 4, fixed thereon.

liotatably mounted in suitable hearings carried by the side members of the frame, there is a central counter-shaft 21, and mounted upon the ends thereof, are the respective sprocket wheels 22, 22, and 23, 23, each Qf'which is capable of being clutched with said shaft or declutched .fi'oiii it. Mounted upon the framework, at one end, is a plurality of iiiotors24, 24, and at the other end, there is a plurality of motors 25, The shafts of the-.iiiotors 24 have the sprocket wheels 9.6, located thereon and capable of being clutched with and declutched from said shafts, and opcr'atiiig-o\'eithe respective sprocket wlieels22, and 26, on each side, are the sprocket chains 27, 27, through which the fennel may be driven from the latter. 1 Located upon these shafts of the motors 25, 2.5, are the sprocket wheels 28, 28, which are capable of being clutched with or declutched from their respectiveshafts. And operating over the sprocket wheels 23, and 28, respectively on each side are the sprocket chains 29, through Whichthe former may be driven,-

from the latter. From the foregoing, it is obvious that one or any number of said motors 24 and 25 may be operatively connected with the countershaft 21 to drive the same. In case a light load is being propelled, it will be necessary to connect only one of said motors with said eountershaft, and as the load is increased, additional motors may be connected to ropel the same, in accordance with the weig t of the load to be ropelled. A great saving of motive power wi '1 be thus effected, inasmuch as it Wlll be necessary to operate only the required number of motors to propel the load. If only one motor be used,

there Wlll be considerable loss of motive power, when a load is propelled not requir: ing the full ca acity of the motor, and for that reason, a p urality of small motors have been provided so that only a suflicient mimber may be used to propel the load being carried.

The countershaft 21 has the small sprocket wheels 30, 30, mounted thereon, one on each side, which are capable of being clutched therewith, and declutched therefrom, and

located in front of said countershaft and rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the frame, there are the transverse shafts 31 and Located on the shaft 31, there are the relatively large sprocket wheels 33, 33, capable of being clutched with and declutched from said shaft, and in alinement with the corresponding sprocket wheels 30, 30, and operating over these sprockets wheels, and imparting rotation from the latter to the former, there are the respective sprocket chains 34. Located on the shaft 21, near its respective ends are the relatively small sprocket wheels 35, 35, which are capable of being clutched with and declutched from said shaft, and in alinement therewith, are the respective sprocket wheels 36, 36, which are located on the shaft 15, and which are capable of bein clutched with and declutched from said shaft. Operating over the corresponding sprocket wheels 35 and 36, on each side, and transmittin power from the former to the latter are t e respective sprocket chains 37. Through the mechanism just described, power maybe transmitted from the countershaft 21, to the transverse shaftffr, and from it to the caterpillars on each side, and the tractor thus driven forwardly. For the 'pur-' pose of changing the speed for giving a slower speed ahead, I lave mounted the relativel small sprocket wheels 38, 38, on the sha t 31, which are capable of-being 'clutched with and declutched from said shaft, and in alinement therewith, I have mounted upon the shaft 32, the relatively large sprocket wheels 39, 39, which are capable of being clutched with and declutched from said shaft 32, and operating over the corresponding sprocket wheels 38 and 39, and transmitting power from the former to the latter are the sprocket chains 40, 40. And mounted upon the shaft 32, are

operate over the respective sprocket wheels 41, and 42, and transmit rotation from the former to the latter. In order to give. the

tractor a slower speed ahead, the sprocket wheels 35 and 36 on each-side are declutched from their shafts, andi the sprocket wheels 38, 39, 41 and 42, on each side, areclutched with their respective shafts, and a lower speed ahead thus obtained, and for the pun pose of changing the direction of. the tractor as in going around curves, orin followin an irregular course, it is obvious that the driving mechanism may be shifted, so as to give a high speed to the caterpillar on one side and a lower speed .to thecaterpillar 0n the other side, and the desired result thus obtained.

For the purpose of reversing the tractor to drive it backwardly, a reversing mechanism has been provided which will now be described. Mounted upoh the counter-shaft 21, are the relatively small sprocket wheels 44, 44, which are arranged to be clutched with and declutched therefrom, and alined with them, and mounted upon the transverse shaft 45, located behindsaid countershaft, are the larger sprocketfilvheels 46, 46, arranged to be clutched with and declutched from said shaft 1 45, and operating oyer the corresponding sprocket. wheels 44, and 46, on each side, are the respective sprocket chains 47, 47, throughwhich the latter is driven from the former. shaft 45, there are also the sprocket wheels 48, 48, over which the sprocket chains 49 operate. These chains alsof'opcratc over the idler sprocket wheels 50, 50, and 51, 51, which arefiked upon the respective transverse shafts 52, and 53, which are rotatable -driving the tractor forwardly is declutched as hercinabovc explained, and the sprocket wheels 44, 46 and 54 are clutched with their l'csPOcliYO shafts. The shaft 16 is thus rotated in the reverse 'dii'lfi'r tioiwdnd operates through the sprocket cl time '20, to drive the sprocket wheels 4, in a orresnending direction.

Mounted on the tractor driven rearwardly, or thecaterpillar I on one side may be operatively connected with the mechanism, for driving the tractor forwardly, and the caterpillar on the other side may he operatively connectedwith-the reversing mechanism, by suitable manipulation of the clutches provided, and the machine thus connected, turned around on small space.

What I claim is:

1. A tractor including a framework, traction caterpillars upon which saidframework is inounted, a countershaft carried by the framework, and operatively connected with said caterpillars, whereby "thesame" may be driven forwardly, at variable rates of speed, and through which the same may be driven rearwardlv. a plurality of motors 'nism o erativel mounted on the framework, and means through which said motors may be inde pendently connected to said countershaft.

2. A tractor including a framework, a

pair of endless 'aprons forming traction.

means upon which saidframework is mounted, a motor carried by the framework, a countershaft rotatably mounted on the framework,- and operatively' connected with I said motor, a drivin mechanism operativel connected with saifcountershaft and wit said aprons throu h which the aprons may be driven at variai for disconnecting said mechanism from either of said aprons, a reversing mechaconnected with said counters left an with said aprons, and means through which said reversing mechanism may be disconnected from either of said aprons.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

R. Manvm SMITH, E. V. HAnnwAr.

1e rates of speed, means- GUY B. FISHER. a 

